Even Old New York Was Once New Amsterdam... Goudse kaasworstjes Recipe (Cheese Sausages!)

Now that you are cursing me for getting a They Might Be Giants song stuck in your head, I thought I would share this Goudse Kaasworstjes recipe that I came across. As any New York Capital Region resident will probably know, New York (née, New Netherland) has a rich Dutch history. The Dutch were some of the earliest settlers of the Hudson River Valley and their culture held sway for a couple of hundred years. If you have read the You Know You Are From Albany If... list, the "You probably know someone who's last name starts with Van" quote rings true, especially as I grew up in Guilderland. In any event, I thought that this good ol' Dutch recipe for cheese sausages would be a good nod to the history of our beloved region. I am sure you are all thanking me for the random Sunday morning history lesson (I think I already hear snores).

I started off with a goodly hunk of aged Gouda, I will be using about 8 ounces.



I finely grated the cheese in my food processor. Next step was to make some fresh bread crumbs out of a nice hunk of French bread. You need about an equal bread to cheese ratio. I also pulsed a couple hand fulls of parsley and a couple green onions in the processor with the bread crumbs to add a little color and flavor.



Mix the bread crumb/herb mixture with the gouda and throw in plenty of fresh cracked pepper and coarse salt.



Then mix in two eggs and two tablespoons of milk to moisten well. I formed the mixture into eight chubby little sausage shapes. These need to go into the fridge for about an hour to firm up a little.



When the sausages were good and chilled, I dipped them in an egg wash and rolled in some store bought bread crumbs. I forgot to reserve some of the fresh bread crumbs so I had to resort to the cheesy store bought kind, but I think they actually worked out well. Here the lil' sausages are all breaded up. They kind of look like mozzarella sticks.



I sauteed them in two batches in a heavy skillet with some heated vegetable oil until very well browned and crispy.



I let them drain and cool for a minute on a piece of paper towel. I thought they looked pretty damn good if I don't say so myself.



After a little while I snatched one up and took a bite. I was really hoping that they would be good and I was not disappointed. The gouda flavor really came through and the spring onion/parsley added a nice savory freshness to the gooey little guys. The contrast between the crisp outside and the moist, unctuous center was delicious.



One of these would be excellent served over a nice spinach or frise salad. If you reduced the size of the sausages, or even made little ball shapes, these would make an excellent appetizer. Plus it is fun to say Goudse Kaasworstjes, it just rolls off the tongue. You could probably substitute any cheese/herb combination that you had on hand, so this is also a good method of utilizing any stale bread you have lying around.